VIAC
ViacomCBS launching Paramount Plus with major presentation (live updates)
- *Updated 7:19 p.m.:* On the free ad-supported streaming front (Pluto
TV), it will draw from "continued MAU growth, international expansion and
better monetization." It expects 100M-120M MAUs on Pluto by the end of
2024, with a large proportion of that connected TV users. On pay and
premium, it sees 65M-75M global streaming subs by then, up from 30M
today -
with most growth from Paramount Plus domestically and internationally.
- On the investment side: A $1B investment in streaming content today
should grow to $5B-plus by the end of 2024.
- *Updated 7:12 p.m.:* From streaming revenue of $2.6B in 2020,
ViacomCBS expects that to grow to "north of $7B" by the end of 2024 -
about
a 30% compound annual growth rate.
- *Updated 6:56 p.m.:* And there's the pricing news: An ad-supported
tier (arriving in June) will cost $4.99/month, and will feature NFL and
UEFA, CBSN and CBS News On Demand videos, and the entertainment side's
exclusive originals (and the thousands of library movies and 30,000 TV
shows). And a Premium tier at $9.99/month will be ad-free, and offer more
content than the lower tier (more live sports, live news feeds, and CBS
live television). There will also be bundle upsells for customers to add
Showtime OTT.
- That $4.99 tier is less than CBS All Access currently costs on its
ad-supported tier ($5.99), but it's in line with how hot competition is
pushing streamers to add more, charge less (see: HBO Max adding heavy
content, but charging the same as prior HBO).
- *Updated 5:49 p.m.:* Paramount studio head Jim Gianopulos offers some
details on the newly negotiated theatrical windows. Not only will
Paramount
Plus feature Paramount films, but its Epix relationship means "thousands
of
titles from a wide variety of studios." As for Paramount's new shorter
windows, some of its biggest releases will go exclusively to Paramount
Plus
from theaters, starting with *A Quiet Place Part II* - which will bow
theatrically in September and head to the streaming service 45 days
later.
Another title getting that treatment is the seventh installment in the
*Mission:
Impossible* film franchise.
- *Updated 5:28 p.m.:* Live sports will be key for the new service, and
it's already the "No. 1 acquisition driver" for CBS All Access, CBS chief
George Cheeks says. Engagement, too: Time spent streaming NFL games grew
88% this season. "We're also doubling down on soccer," he says, noting
the
service will be the home of UEFA matches (the second-best driver of
subscriptions behind the NFL). And news offerings will include exclusives
like *60 Minutes Plus, Forty Eight Hours, *and the existing 24/7 global
digital news service CBSN.
- *Updated 5:09 p.m.:* When it comes to movies, Bakish says the
Paramount studio has negotiated a 30- to 45-day theatrical window before
the films debut on Paramount Plus. The service will offer more than 2,500
movies in its library.
- *Updated 5:04 p.m.:* CEO Bob Bakish promises Paramount Plus will be
unique, combining live sports, breaking news and a "mountain of
entertainment." The offering will include more than 30,000 episodes of
library TV content, and Bakish promises 36 original series ahead. The
company's key brands - Paramount, CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central,
BET and Smithsonian - will be "focused on creating original hits for
Paramount Plus," he says. VIAC+0.9%.
- *Original item:* ViacomCBS (VIAC, VIACA) is kicking off its "streaming
event" now (after an inauspicious half-hour delay, which the company
attributes to "last-minute registrations") with an opener from Shari
Redstone.
- "You know us as a value stock," she says, but "inside our value
company is a powerful engine for growth."
- The event promises details on its Paramount Plus strategy and
offerings as well as how ad-supported Pluto TV and Showtime OTT fit in.
- Watch this space for key updates, but be patient: As with Disney's
mega-event in December, ViacomCBS is planning a 3.5-hour presentation to
roll out the high-stakes service. No doubt a lot of that will be devoted
to
showing off the content library, while investors will be staying tuned
for
the details that might come late in the "show": namely, price points.
- The company just posted earnings where it topped consensus on EPS
though revenues trailed slightly.
- Currently: VIAC +0.6%.
|Today, 4:52 PM|6 Comments
ViacomCBS launching Paramount Plus with major presentation (live updates)
- *Updated 7:19 p.m.:* On the free ad-supported streaming front (Pluto
TV), it will draw from "continued MAU growth, international expansion and
better monetization." It expects 100M-120M MAUs on Pluto by the end of
2024, with a large proportion of that connected TV users. On pay and
premium, it sees 65M-75M global streaming subs by then, up from 30M
today -
with most growth from Paramount Plus domestically and internationally.
- On the investment side: A $1B investment in streaming content today
should grow to $5B-plus by the end of 2024.
- *Updated 7:12 p.m.:* From streaming revenue of $2.6B in 2020,
ViacomCBS expects that to grow to "north of $7B" by the end of 2024 -
about
a 30% compound annual growth rate.
- *Updated 6:56 p.m.:* And there's the pricing news: An ad-supported
tier (arriving in June) will cost $4.99/month, and will feature NFL and
UEFA, CBSN and CBS News On Demand videos, and the entertainment side's
exclusive originals (and the thousands of library movies and 30,000 TV
shows). And a Premium tier at $9.99/month will be ad-free, and offer more
content than the lower tier (more live sports, live news feeds, and CBS
live television). There will also be bundle upsells for customers to add
Showtime OTT.
- That $4.99 tier is less than CBS All Access currently costs on its
ad-supported tier ($5.99), but it's in line with how hot competition is
pushing streamers to add more, charge less (see: HBO Max adding heavy
content, but charging the same as prior HBO).
- *Updated 5:49 p.m.:* Paramount studio head Jim Gianopulos offers some
details on the newly negotiated theatrical windows. Not only will
Paramount
Plus feature Paramount films, but its Epix relationship means "thousands
of
titles from a wide variety of studios." As for Paramount's new shorter
windows, some of its biggest releases will go exclusively to Paramount
Plus
from theaters, starting with *A Quiet Place Part II* - which will bow
theatrically in September and head to the streaming service 45 days
later.
Another title getting that treatment is the seventh installment in the
*Mission:
Impossible* film franchise.
- *Updated 5:28 p.m.:* Live sports will be key for the new service, and
it's already the "No. 1 acquisition driver" for CBS All Access, CBS chief
George Cheeks says. Engagement, too: Time spent streaming NFL games grew
88% this season. "We're also doubling down on soccer," he says, noting
the
service will be the home of UEFA matches (the second-best driver of
subscriptions behind the NFL). And news offerings will include exclusives
like *60 Minutes Plus, Forty Eight Hours, *and the existing 24/7 global
digital news service CBSN.
- *Updated 5:09 p.m.:* When it comes to movies, Bakish says the
Paramount studio has negotiated a 30- to 45-day theatrical window before
the films debut on Paramount Plus. The service will offer more than 2,500
movies in its library.
- *Updated 5:04 p.m.:* CEO Bob Bakish promises Paramount Plus will be
unique, combining live sports, breaking news and a "mountain of
entertainment." The offering will include more than 30,000 episodes of
library TV content, and Bakish promises 36 original series ahead. The
company's key brands - Paramount, CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central,
BET and Smithsonian - will be "focused on creating original hits for
Paramount Plus," he says. VIAC+0.9%.
- *Original item:* ViacomCBS (VIAC, VIACA) is kicking off its "streaming
event" now (after an inauspicious half-hour delay, which the company
attributes to "last-minute registrations") with an opener from Shari
Redstone.
- "You know us as a value stock," she says, but "inside our value
company is a powerful engine for growth."
- The event promises details on its Paramount Plus strategy and
offerings as well as how ad-supported Pluto TV and Showtime OTT fit in.
- Watch this space for key updates, but be patient: As with Disney's
mega-event in December, ViacomCBS is planning a 3.5-hour presentation to
roll out the high-stakes service. No doubt a lot of that will be devoted
to
showing off the content library, while investors will be staying tuned
for
the details that might come late in the "show": namely, price points.
- The company just posted earnings where it topped consensus on EPS
though revenues trailed slightly.
- Currently: VIAC +0.6%.
|Today, 4:52 PM|6 Comments
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